Here in Our Hands
by Ulqy-chan
Summary: Orihime always believed in giving others second chances and showing kindness to all. He always believed that those beliefs of hers were utter BS. Ulquihime. Stretches off from Manga after the final fight with Aizen. T for language and mature themes.
1. Second Chance

**Hello everyone! I kinda sorta stopped all my other stories and started this one on a whim. I can't make any promises, but I want to try and keep this one going. This is a short starter to my hopefully larger story in the making. It's gonna be a little OOC at first until I lead you through the reasonings and such in a deeper chapter. Anyways...hope you like it and please review D:**

**Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo, not me. I'd have killed Ichigo long ago, and Ulquiorra would be the new main character. *sighs* ...**

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**Here in Our Hands**

Blood splattered as Ulquiorra's gigai was cut through like butter with a hot knife. The pain was unrealistically intense for the ex-Espada, but he blamed that on the fact that he was inside a weak human body instead of his harder-than-steel original form. Blood soaked his school uniform and made his entire left side tremble with the aftermath of pain—numbness. As he allowed himself to crumble to the ground, he wondered how in the world he got into the situation in the first place.

Just 2 weeks ago, he was looking at Orihime's face as he faded away into ash. Now, he was foolishly fighting in a gigai against a hollow that attacked him due to the amount of reiatsu he still had trouble suppressing. He regrettably wasn't allowed to leave his gigai form without permission and surveillance by the Soul Society. They didn't trust him fully yet. Every time they allowed his transformation, it had been for research to help the soul society learn more ways to combat against cero's and the like. He was like a lab rat to them. Yet despite of all that, he was here fighting this hollow alone—doing their job—due to the fact that no other soul reapers were in town. It was quite a predicament.

The creature roared and stomped its large clawed hand down towards Ulquiorra, who only barely managed to get out of the way of being crushed. He frowned, not used to such sluggish responses from his body. Not only was it slow, but it was prone to shutting down his 5 senses as soon as it got a paper cut sized wound and bled a small amount.

He supposed all of this trouble started when he was allowed a second chance by that foolish woman.

The blackness and starless sky of Hueco Mundo was almost smoldering, however in contrast to the darkness, Ulquiorra registered an intense light. Warmth coursed through his veins—his regenerated veins. How was he still alive? He was sure that his organs were just previously turning into dust, which would soon bring his outer body with them. But now, he was lying contently in the lap of the woman he had reached for. Her powers lit her form up with a strong orange glow, giving her the appearance of an otherworldly angel.

"W…what are you doing, woman?" his voice felt strange. Right before he disappeared, he had felt his throat collapse and turn to ash. It was strange to be using it to speak again so suddenly.

The girl he had taken captive smiled down at him, adding more angelic features to her form.

"Saving you" as she said these words that pierced right through the hollow, her free hand crept down to take hold of the newly formed hand of Ulquiorra's. Their hands weren't able to touch when he reached out for her earlier. The fact that she remembered his desire and finished the act herself made something tug in his chest.

"You're…such a strange human…" he mumbled, still exhausted from the fight. He could feel that the girl had a ways to go before he was completely healed again, so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of air.

"What of the shinigami?" He could feel that Ichigo was long gone by now—he wasn't even in Hueco Mundo anymore.

"He's off to stop Aizen from destroying Karakura town." A male voice chimed in. It was the voice of the Quincy that had attacked him after Ulquiorra blew a hole into Ichigo's chest. Ulquiorra took note of his presence, and then made a soft noise in his throat.

"How foolish," he muttered. He had more to say, but that summarized Ichigo's goal up nicely.

Ulquiorra was frustrated. In fact, that was an understatement. He was just revived by his enemy, and now his target and mission was heading towards Aizen at this very moment. He had failed, and was utterly defeated in every way and form. However, he refused to act like a child. He forced himself to swallow this defeat and pity, and used this new chance to sort out the feelings he felt develop just as he faded away. This heart that he discovered—the strange feeling of understanding and comprehension—brought new light to the Espada's life. It also had given a new meaning behind the woman's otherwise useless and foolish words.

There was a long train of silence and it seemed like all eyes were on Ulquiorra as he was finally fully healed. The Espada wasted no time and stood, forcing Orihime to let go of his hand and causing Uryu to stiffen. He was still in his second release form, after all. Orihime stood, but only eyed Ulquiorra once before walking towards the Quincy. For a moment, the two males stared at each other. Uryu glared with intense hostility, but had restraint as well. Orihime had after all healed Ulquiorra, so he wasn't about to go and attack the Hollow unless provoked to do so. Ulquiorra looked back with a piercingly cold stare, his green eyes hiding the confusion and frustration that he felt due to being revived. Confusion was formed through the fact that now he had doubts on whether or not to attack, and in that confusion and uncertainty of his duties, Ulquiorra became frustrated. It wasn't until Uryu and Orihime left that the Hollow finally got a grip on his logic.

With a quiet whisper, his release form began to peel away into black specks, revealing his torn but present white uniform. The blackness left his body completely, returning him to normal, and then swirled towards his hands to take on the shape of his unsheathed sword. Sighing, Ulquiorra raised the blade and carefully sheathed it. It was back where it was supposed to be—at his side—with a click of the guard against the scabbard. He let the Quincy and the woman go, but no remorse or hesitation clouded the Espada's judgment anymore. He knew what he had to do now that he allowed not only his prey to escape, but for them to heal him and bring him back to life.

Regrettably, he had to repay them. His pride wouldn't like it, but the new feeling tugging at his chest desired him to act honorably. And the only way to do so was to stop Ichigo from being killed in his suicidal attempt to stop Aizen, and then safe the strange human girls' hometown before it was blown to pieces and forged into the Kings' Key. This would become troublesome, but ever since the hollow-fied Ichigo began to win the fight, Ulquiorra lost the will to continue living. He had failed the last orders given to him by Aizen, and he knew that the last 3 higher ranked Espada that he took with him were already dead. If he were to appear to aid Aizen, he'd follow in suit.

The only thing keeping Ulquiorra from going back to how he felt about living as Ichigo defeated him was the fact that the stupid human girl had revived him. He didn't want to be alive, and yet she showed him mercy and gave him a second chance. He supposed he was lucky. After all, he was beginning to understand the heart Orihime boasted of previously. Without further contemplation, Ulquiorra disappeared with a flourishing Sonido. He didn't have time to waste, and he was well aware of the fact that even with his additional help, Ichigo would not win against Aizen. As Ulquiorra reappeared, he knelt down into the cold white sand. Grimmjow lay there, bloodied and defeated, but at the sound of Ulquiorra's movements, one blue eye cracked open and glared at the smaller Arrancar.

"Fancy seeing you again, stiff-ass…" Grimmjow croaked, frustrated that his rival had to see his condition. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. This would be troublesome. He knew that Grimmjow had been defeated, but he didn't know it was to this extent. His stubbornness was an attribute that Ulquiorra hated, but had to admit that it helped him become stronger. If Nnoitra wasn't equally if not more stubborn, Grimmjow would have been ranked 5th in Ulquiorra's book. This was a desirable trait Ulquiorra needed in order to rebel against Aizen. Besides, Grimmjow had mentioned before how he never liked listening to the ex-shinigami's orders.

"Can you stand?" For a moment Grimmjow just continued to glare, something close to a snarl forming on his lips. But Ulquiorra waited until the Espada relented, body lurching as he forced himself up.

"No shit. I was just restin'." Grimmjow hissed through his teeth as he stood. Ulquiorra rose with him, eying his demeanor carefully. The Espada was a little tipsy, but he was not trembling. A little patchwork and Grimmjow would surely be useful once again. Noticing his stare, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, forcing himself to stand up straighter and remind the younger Arrancar who was taller.

"The hell are you looking at?"

Sighing, Ulquiorra strode off. Grimmjow followed like a lost kitten, curious and confused as to why the 4th Espada was coming back to check on him. According to how well Grimmjow knew the younger, he was supposed to not care about fallen comrades. But apparently something had happened when Ulquiorra's reiatsu flickered off for just a brief minute or two. Something was changing, and that was the only reason Grimmjow didn't blow it all off and go his own path.

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**Ok, so that was a pretty short little beginner chapter. I've been cooped up, so I started writing again. Yes, this is Ulquihime, by the way. And the god damn title wouldn't align center for the life of me. So I gave up.**

**I'll be basing this story roughly on the Manga, but since all this stuff is already long in the past, I'm going way off after a certain point. So bear with me. But, more importantly…**

**Tell me if this is worth continuing D;**

-Ulqy-Chan


	2. Unfavorable Odds

**So I got a review the first hour of this story being up, which made me feel good. Thanks Maiahini. I'm excited about doing this too, so I hope we both end up liking the outcome ^^**

**I want to focus more on Ulquiorra, so if everyone was like "OMG why did Orihime just walk off to never be seen again? THIS IS ULQUIHIME! GET IT RIGHT!" –I'm telling it slightly from Ulq's view. Not entirely, though, since the prime trait Ulquiorra has is being unreadable. I will lead you through his logic, but there will be blank spots where I hope you can use your imagination.**

**For now, Orihime is still just an 'interesting human' to Ulquiorra, and hasn't registered as something more yet.**

**I don't own Bleach or the characters. Tite Kubo does. *long depressed sigh* T-T**

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**Chapter Two: Unfavorable Odds**

Piercing green eyes scanned the blank horizon before landing on a small body out near an arrangement of rubble. There, Ulquiorra found the fallen form of Nel, the former 3rd Espada. Despite her child-like appearance and case of amnesia, she was yet another desirable associate that could accompany him to the human world along with Grimmjow. The 6th Espada eyed the sleeping child and scoffed.

"Why the hell are you helping her?" Grimmjow asked as Ulquiorra scooped Nel up with a swift movement of his arm. It was something between elegant and gentle, both making Grimmjow tempted to puke.

"She is stronger than you. I suggest you give her more respect." He spoke quietly and moved on.

Ulquiorra was amazed with how empty Las Noches felt. There were no other survivors besides the two he had collected. The rest were just lowly hollow.

"Says the one carrying her like she's a rat," Grimmjow pointed out the way Ulquiorra held Nel by the back of her clothes. But Ulquiorra soon justified his reasons by shoving Nel into Grimmjow's hands. Slobber and vomit smeared on the child Arrancar's face made contact with one of the 6th Espada's chest wounds. He hissed with disgust and pain and held her away from him, nose scrunched up.

"Fuckin brat…" he muttered, but noted a slight relief tingling through his wound. Despite the nasty fact that it was her vomit/slobber, it was somehow healing his cut. Ulquiorra seemed to notice but moved on as planned.

He swiftly entered one of the many treating rooms, taking Nel and laying her down on a bland white couch. Ulquiorra turned and opened his mouth to call for one of the servant hollows to come and wrap Grimmjow's wounds; however one scurried to him before he had to speak. It was apparently hiding ever since Aizen left for the human world, thinking no other Espada were present. Ulquiorra stepped back and watched as Grimmjow was ushered towards a chair and treated. All the while, the 6th Espada complained and scoffed, his pride damaged. This seemed like an opportune time to speak of plans.

"We're going to help Kurosaki."

Grimmjow snapped his head to look at Ulquiorra, and the tension in the room seemed to double. The servant shrunk in comparison.

"What the hell? What did that shinigami do to you that made you suddenly his bitch?" For once, Grimmjow's voice was low and quieter. It was as if Ulquiorra got him past surprise and shouting to the point that he was literally close to being speechless. Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes.

"We no longer need to serve Aizen-sama. We're the last left." Ulquiorra gave his bit of reasoning, but Grimmjow just scoffed as his chest was tended to.

"That's no reason to back down and kiss the shinigami's asses. I'd kill all of them myself. Who needs the other Espada?"

Ulquiorra wasn't too sure of himself. In fact, he had no idea why he was doing this. But, the feeling was familiar to when he was forced to improvise on missions that were difficult. The logic felt the same—it was the usual 'This won't work, so I'll do this instead'. However, this was a little more severe. To aid the enemy...Ulquiorra needed more convincing. The fact that he still despised Ichigo didn't support the conclusion of his decision to aid the shinigami.

So what had done it? Furious that this desire to go against protocol was still full of foreign logic, Ulquiorra dismissed his thoughts for later. He went back to thinking more on a tactical side—a task which also involved earning Grimmjow's allegiance.

"If we don't help Kurosaki now, he'll die before you can ever repay him for sparing you."

That seemed to strike a nerve.

"Shut the hell up. He didn't spare me, I spared him! And like hell I'm going to _repay_ him! Besides, you're here too. I bet he went real easy on you."

Ulquiorra opened his eyes again. "Kurosaki did not spare me. His inner hollow was quite direct in its approach towards those it deemed as its enemy."

Grimmjow eyed Ulquiorra with a vague curiosity, then huffed and looked away like a child. He was thankful that Grimmjow's pride stopped him from asking too many questions. It was a defeat he was still trying to grip on himself, despite the fact that he openly 'accepted' it as the shinigami pounded him into the ground. Looking back, he regretted not just causing his lance to explode as soon as the hollow Ichigo flash stepped in front of him. It would have blown him up too, but he had faith in his regeneration abilities. After a small pause, Grimmjow sighed.

"Whatever. I never liked Aizen or you, but Aizen is worse than you. Fuckin' Shinigami ordering us Hollows around." Grimmjow hissed, firing himself up for the confrontation by making himself loathe his newly chosen target—a naïve way to think of a mission, but it was enough for Ulquiorra. The servant hollow quickly finished their job and scurried away for its life.

"I'll kill Aizen, sure. But you aren't gonna get in my way. I'll go right for those Soul society brats as soon as I'm through."

Ulquiorra was constantly astounded with how blunt and idiotic Grimmjow could be sometimes. Did he truly believe he could defeat Aizen on his own? The 4th knew he didn't stand a chance alone. However, the surprise and ace of a second release could possibly keep him alive against Aizen just a few seconds longer than the others. But that wasn't enough.

"As you wish," Ulquiorra said with an offhand tone. He glanced over at Nel, noticing that their voices seemed to be waking her slowly. Childish teal orbs blinked and looked up at him. Hopefully she wouldn't stay like a child forever.

Now that both his allies were at least somewhat useful—Nel being able to still swallow up a good cero or two in her child form—Ulquiorra glanced towards the window to his right, eyes focusing past the sky. They had to hurry. Aizen is the type to take his time, but they still needed to be there before he decided to make his move.

Unfortunately due to the loss of the majority of Espada, Ulquiorra knew he'd have to literally team up with the Shinigami in order to stand a chance of surviving. Three Espada working separately wouldn't work at all, and even if Grimmjow decided to be tolerant and Nel managed to turn into her released form without forgetting why she was there, the chances were still very slim.

The 4th Espada wasn't used to being thrown into a situation where the odds of him winning or surviving weren't high. Even during his battle with Ichigo as a hollow, he believed that since he was able to officially kill him 2 times that he'd somehow pull off a third and final. However, this was the first situation that he knew without a doubt that he'd lose without outside help.

The fact that his dulled tactical senses were now being asked for use was even worse. He hadn't been required to think this intensely about an oncoming confrontation for a long time. In fact, Aizen usually just fed him his plan and he followed willingly. Any thoughts he had on how to do the mission more efficiently was occasionally allowed and brought him up to being one of Aizen's 'favorites', however Ulquiorra shunned his ability to think for himself and branch off of Aizen's orders. To him—in his early days of being in the Espada—it was a sign that he wasn't loyal.

Even though Aizen created each Espada with the ability to think for themselves, to do so felt wrong. It was as if Aizen was expecting them to have inner conflict between who to follow, and the test was to create a self-established sense of loyalty to him for those that chose him. In a way, Aizen had changed them into believing that they decided themselves to believe and be loyal to him…but in reality, it was hardly a choice. Those who disobeyed were never seen again. They were banished out of Las Noches without hesitation.

"Oi, are you done?" Grimmjow snapped, annoyed that Ulquiorra was being so quiet and unfocused. Whatever happened had the 4th thinking a little too much.

Ulquiorra glanced back at the blue-haired Espada and then walked out of the room.

Nel leaped off of the couch she was on, now fully conscious and aware…well, for her child form. She scurried after Ulquiorra. Grimmjow sat there for a moment before realizing that the 4th Espada was going to leave without him. Gruffly, he stomped out of the room and joined the younger.

"So, are we just gonna appear outta a gargantua and scare the shit out of Aizen, or do you have some better plan?"

"We'll have to wait until he's entirely focused on Kurosaki. Aizen-sama takes a long time to even slightly lower his guard, and he'll only do it for about half a second. We have to be there and ready to take that chance. But we must also be undetected. Meaning…"

Ulquiorra glanced down at Nel, who looked back up with big shimmery eyes. The 4th Espada refused to think little of her, but it was getting increasingly hard not to.

"You will go into the human world first. You're less threatening to the shinigami and small enough to stay undetected." Ulquiorra had his doubts that Nel—this child—could successfully spot Aizen's weakest point. She was not the brightest or sharpest. If only Stark was still alive…

"Awight!" was the only feedback Nel provided, which did little to ease the concern over her ability to gather enough information. Ulquiorra stopped where he was standing and Sonido-ed, giving no warning as the surrounding white walls blurred from his view. Then, the darkness of Szyael's lab greeted his eyes. He stopped and glanced around, eyes searching through the organized clutter of the deceased scientists' room.

He had been working on a new way to communicate, similar with the butterfly that the shinigami used. Only, it resembled some sort of parasite-like bug. It was probably a lesser hollow that was altered into being a mindless device, since it appeared to have a set of eyes and a mouth. Also, occasionally the long boney legs and pinchers would twitch. Regrettably, Ulquiorra had to carry two of them.

Grimmjow and Nel were in the same place he was when he flash-stepped away, though Grimmjow looked half ready to follow. He wasn't expecting Ulquiorra to return so quickly. The 4th threw one of the bug-hollow devices into Grimmjow's arms. He promptly cursed and tried to drop it, however the creature clung to his forearm with defiance.

"What the hell is this? Get it off me!" Grimmjow pulled at the creature with his free hand, but his efforts were in vain.

"It's a way to communicate. Nel will have the other."

Nel happily took the other device and stared at it like it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. The creature crawled up to hoist itself on her small shoulder, which threw Nel into a bout of giggles.

"Use it to tell Grimmjow and I when to attack."

"Hmph! Why can't you hold it?"

"Because it's trash," Ulquiorra mumbled "and it's stuck to your arm."

Grimmjow was suddenly having second doubts on whether or not Ulquiorra had changed.

"Nel, you will contact us the moment you believe Aizen is most vulnerable. Then, release directly into your Resurrección. Grimmjow and I will follow." Back to business, the 4th was truly a strict Espada.

The small child nodded once, and even Grimmjow took a deep breath as the small child climbed through the portal to the human world. She disappeared, leaving the two male Espada in the blank white castle. Grimmjow turned and urged a smirk to reform on his lips.

"So…knowing you, you've got a plan for us two to follow."

Ulquiorra nodded solemnly. Grimmjow smacked his hands together; one formed as a fist, and cracked his knuckles with enthusiasm.

"Bring it on!"

Ulquiorra was tempted to smirk, but held back the expressions for when this entire ordeal was over with. His green eyes flickered for a moment before hardening.

"We need to separate Aizen from the Hōgyoku."

It was the quiet before the storm. Even as a small tear in the sky formed, the surrounding area was hardly shaken out of its trance.

Out popped Nel—the gargantua she traveled from closing quickly behind her. She landed on her backside with a flourishing 'oomph!' and then darted her wide eyes around. She scurried to hide behind the shadow of a considerably large building, which was partially collapsed. The fight had only just begun.

Out in the center of the sky—the shinigami keeping their distance as a girl was stabbed by a captain with white hair. Both were slain so easily and thrown aside—no doubt tricked into hurting each other. Nel trembled, and so did the device clinging desperately to her shoulder.

Aizen truly was a formidable figure.

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**Phew. Ok, so I lied. This was a pretty short chappie too. My deepest apologies~ I worked really hard to give a good piece of Ulquiorra's logic and thoughts on this entire thing, so bear with me if it seems completely off to you. I worked uberly hard D; Anyways, the plot will be changing from here on out. It will be roughly based on the Manga, so the scenes coming up will be following my own plot. Orihime will hopefulyl show up in the next LONGER chapter, but that all depends on how much I can squeeze out of me before giving up and ending the chapter where ever. **

**Please review D:**

**Ulqy-chan~**


	3. Incomprehensive

**I do intend on having Nel and Grimmjow get more screen time in this alternate plot aside from Bleach. They were awesome characters. But, I don't really know about relationships…I might do what Tite Kubo does and just leave it to your imagination while feeding you some nice scenes between the characters, but I won't make it too obvious.**

**This is Ulquihime, so I want to stay focused on them.**

**THERE IS ORIHIME IN THIS CHAPPIE~ it gets a little confusing, but she thinks back on why/how she healed Ulquiorra. Sort of a flashback.**

**And we get to see some Grimmjow+Ulquiorra tag team action! I always thought on how epic they'd be as a fighting duo…**

**I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo does. I just own the fabric whitener… T-T**

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**Chapter Three: Incomprehensive**

It was a good plan.

If it had been any other foe besides Aizen, it probably would work without a problem.

But…Ulquiorra knew better than to be optimistic. Something still tugged at his chest, however, at the thoughts and reminders that he was nearly marching back to his death right after being revived by that foolish woman.

This caused another tug in his chest—more harsh and painful. _Throbbing_, actually…

Why did she save him?

Did she know that he'd aid her friends if she did?

Did she notice that understanding in his fleeting last moments and decide to let him live due to his new revelation?

It confused Ulquiorra to no end and the fact that she had walked away, eyes wide but void—as if she was in a trance—right after she saved him hurt even more. It was like she was in denial of something, or was finally scared to face him. Perhaps she hadn't meant to revive him, or maybe she didn't even know why she did it. She did do a lot of stupid things; Ulquiorra had to admit, so he was beginning to wonder what her thought process was like. Maybe her ignoring him immediately after was the proof that she had no thought process at all. She thought of nothing except "save everyone". Even with this new light, Ulquiorra doubted he would ever understand the vastness of that woman's kindness.

Even though she was kind and her actions made him very grateful towards her, he still felt slightly betrayed that she left without a word. Heck, he felt even worse over the fact that he even FELT these feelings. But somehow he finally understood them all. Somehow, it was all because of that reach he made for her. She reached back, and then he saw it. He saw it clearly and it rushed right through him. He felt it in his hand…

So here he was, scowling at nothing as Grimmjow waited for a message from Nel. They had spoken of their strategy. Now, he didn't want to think about his duties. All he had to make sure of before he charged in was if Nel had done what was requested of her. It was Nel's job to ensure that no one was nearby to get caught in the blast. All three of them would then commence in fighting Aizen. Both the 4th and the 6th Espada would focus more on getting the Hōgyoku, while Nel would just focus on attacking. Hopefully this would shake the spectators to jump in and help as well, but Ulquiorra didn't want to count on that.

::

Uryu was a gentleman, Orihime had to admit.

He hadn't dared to say or ask a word after she was guided back down into the sunny Hueco Mundo. The artificial sky hid away the deed she just performed. If the Soul Society heard that she had revived an Espada…

Both of them seemed to understand the situation. Uryu kept his mouth shut and his eyes hard, while Ichigo merely marched off to fight another battle, dismissal present in his aura as he flew out of her sight.

…

Orihime didn't know why she healed Ulquiorra.

The moment she had reached out for him, seeing that look in his piercing green eyes, she felt something tug at her heart. The fact that her hand only met dust only amplified the fact that she shouldn't let him disappear. There was a long moment where she stared in shock at the empty spot he once stood, but then she kicked herself into gear. She had spared and healed every other enemy that crossed her path or that got hurt in front of her, so why did she have to exclude Ulquiorra from that? She hurriedly ignored the shouts of protest against her actions, nudging Uryu away as he put a hand on her shoulder, and quickly used her powers to collect some of the dust of Ulquiorra before it blew away. She hadn't been able to catch all of it, but she hoped that only some would be enough…she hoped so much that it would be enough.

Ever since her powers failed to heal Ichigo when his chest was blown away, Orihime was shaky about using her healing abilities.

Would they work?

Would they do it this time?

What if she failed?

What if he was gone now?

She watched the contents under her warm glow anxiously—hungrily—waiting for some sign of progress. Minutes felt like hours as nothing moved or grew underneath her sun-like rays of orange light. Her fairies working hard, Orihime could feel more tears streak down the dried and crusted trails from before. Her eyes burned, puffed and blurred. Her entire body began to shake, and her throat clenched tight with a sore choking gasp.

He wasn't coming back.

She was sure…his regeneration abilities should have done the trick—they should have been enough with the help of her powers. More than enough, actually. But he was not coming back. Was it because she didn't catch enough dust? Quickly, she spread the length of her orange shield across the entire pillar, extending it far past the edge and into the air above. This was the largest she had ever made her fairies stretch, but she knew she had to push it. She had to catch more dust particles.

Uryu made a step towards her, but she moved closer to her shield in response. Clearly screaming from her actions and body language for him to stay out of this, Uryu lowered his outstretched hand and looked away. Ichigo was silent and still.

And then suddenly, with a flourishing black swirl of energy, something began to reform within Orihime's rays—suspended in the sky. A black leathery wing extended from a torso, curled as if protecting the body from harm. His arms mirrored the same protective stance that his one wing did. The head was bowed and limp, an expression of exhaustion creased across his lips—or what could be seen beyond his wing and unruly hair. It was like a dream; the way the regeneration sped up so suddenly and so quickly, like all she had to do was give him a little push. A whipping tail flicked and swayed in the air, and soon, Orihime found her powers dwindling. She had pushed it too far. The worst part was that he wasn't even fully healed yet. His left leg was nearly non-existent, and he was still missing one wing. His entire left side was in the same state as it was before he disappeared, that side being the most injured and destroyed during the fight.

Orihime gasped as her powers finally trembled then gave out, letting go of the creature mid-air. He fell like a doll, so Orihime ran, barely making it in time to catch the crippled Ulquiorra. It was a messy catch that caused her to buckle her knees in the end, but she had broken the fall considerably. Shakily, she eased him into her lap.

Ichigo whispered something before slowly approaching her, the chains linked to his Bankai-version of his sword announcing his movement. Orihime tensed before looking over her shoulder.

"Inoue…that's enough. You'll exhaust yourself if you keep trying to heal him," sadness shimmered in the boys' eyes, as it was guilt from causing this entire mess.

She ignored him, however, and turned to continue healing. Ichigo moved to stop her, but Uryu suddenly appeared in front of the shinigami, mutedly shaking his head. Ichigo promptly left after that…not saying a single word as he charged off to confront Aizen.

And so she continued unhindered. It was a relief to see that her healing had only broken under the stress of such a long range of rejection. Now, up close and in smaller bouts, Orihime was able to work on fully healing Ulquiorra.

But not before he awoke, piercing eyes looking up at her with a mixture of confusion and awe.

"W…what are you doing, woman?"

It had struck her so suddenly that she had no words to say. Only a choked out…rather predictable reply formed on her lips.

"_Saving you."_

Her mind was racing with her heart.

She supposed that it was all an adrenaline rush, but now as she thought about it—looking back—it was much more than that.

It was much more than _saving_ him.

Orihime sighed, gray eyes straying to the ground as she walked with Uryu to meet with the captains. They were all trapped inside Hueco Mundo, apparently, until Aizen either released the seal that closed off all portals out or if he died. She supposed that it was safer for her to stay here until the fight was done… After all, Ichigo had managed to slip out thanks to the strange scientist-like captain she and Uryu had met during their adventure in the soul society long ago. He would definitely help the remaining captains and lieutenants in fighting off the ex-shinigami.

And that was that.

::

A cracked voice rung through the empty corridor of Las Noches, both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow—though mainly Grimmjow—jumped at the sound of a frantic Nel's voice whispering with urgency. Ulquiorra took no time to decipher the entire message. All he needed to hear was 'now' and 'hurry'. With a flick of his wrist, since Espada were still able to go freely in and out of Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra opened a gargantua and leapt into it, drawing his sword as he ran. Grimmjow followed, cackling and swatting Panthera out into the air with glee.

"Fuck yeah!"

Ulquiorra did not share Grimmjow's enthusiasm; however they both released their swords simultaneously before reaching the end of the tunnel inside the gargantua. The human world—flipped and distorted as if being inside a water droplet—appeared before the two creatures. Grimmjow zipped out first, heading straight for the ex-Shinigami who was currently fighting the captain commander.

Explosions set off as Grimmjow fired several small but deadly missile-like objects from his forearm at Aizen's form before literally tackling into the man. Ulquiorra followed, wings beating hard to give him an extra boost as he dove into the smoke cloud. A large confusion burst through the wounded crowd of shinigami, who all flew back at the explosion. It wasn't until the smoke cleared that the group—including Ichigo—stared with disbelief.

They had stabbed Aizen.

Well, to be specific, Ulquiorra had pierced Aizen with a green glowing lance as Grimmjow held the man steady.

"Hah! That was eas—"

Grimmjow was cut off abruptly as it quickly registered—the pain searing in his chest. Blood poured from his wound and his mouth as he doubled over. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes and pulled the lance he thought he drove into Aizen out of Grimmjow, cursing under his breath. He knew Aizen's illusions would be hard to combat, but to fall victim to his tricks so soon… Grimmjow struggled to stand and his stubbornness showed through. Even after being hit directly by one of Ulquiorra's attacks, he refused to fall. Green eyes flew through the sky before landing on a perfectly untouched Aizen.

"My, what a sight this is…I thought you both were killed. It was a miscalculation on my part, then…"

Aizen spoke casually, eyeing Ulquiorra with an amused glance. He was interrupted when a figure lashed across his chest, trotting to a stop behind him with her weapon in hand. Nel had managed to transform without a hitch, but now Grimmjow was too wounded to make his move. Aizen chuckled, lowering his blade that had blocked Nel's strike.

"And I see you're still able to release."

Nel turned in time to block a lazy but still deadly fast strike from Aizen, and Ulquiorra took that moment to fire a healthy black cero at the ex-leader. Aizen moved to the side amused at his creations' efforts. The cero fell upon Nel, obscuring her form with smoke. Aizen brushed off some dirt from his shoulders.

"I never thought you'd become so impulsive, Ulquio—"

Nel breathed in deeply, chest bloated and her body trembling, before firing back her double cero technique, using Ulquiorra's cero to amplify her own. It connected with Aizen, but the two Espada knew better than to lower their guard.

"You really shouldn't interrupt. It's rude," Aizen said as he walked out of the billowing smoke. He lifted his right sleeve and arm, noticing it was tattered and burnt. Annoyed, his eyes turned to the 4th Espada.

"I assume you're the master-mind behind this pathetic rebellion, Ulquiorra."

The 4th Espada frowned at his previous master, eyeing him sharply. If only his left eye were a little more sharp. He boasted of being able to see all—only that which existed. However, here he was, getting tricked by stupid little illusions. Ulquiorra knew Aizen was better than to create a warrior that could outsmart his techniques to work at his disposal, but he still wished that he had been given just a little more.

To all the Espada's surprise—including the severely hurt Grimmjow—Ichigo finally leapt forward. Ulquiorra, who had been hovering a distance away from Aizen, had to fly back a bit to avoid being consumed by the Lunar Fang attack.

He didn't miss a beat and quickly threw his lance forward at Aizen. Ichigo recognized the explosive power flying his way and quickly cleared the area, appearing next to the bat-like hollow as the explosion spread, lighting the entire area with a green glow.

"Why are you helping us?"

Ulquiorra twitched, eyes narrowing at the shinigami representative next to him.

"Do not misunderstand, Kurosaki Ichigo. I am not helping you. I merely decided that Aizen is not worth following. It would become more troublesome to not follow him if he became the new King."

There was a grunt of agreement from Grimmjow, and a small nod from Nel as she pawed at the ground with her hooves.

Ichigo chuckled, raising his sword out in front of him.

"Good enough for me."

* * *

**GRRR I wish this chapter was longer. But I didn't want to drone on. **

**If the fighting got weird or comfusing or hard to read/too fast or rushed, it's sorta supposed to be a strange thing. I mean, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow aren't the type to dwell on a fight for too much. So during it, I kinda left their thoughts and feelings up to your imagination. They're completely focused. It'd be idiotic to not be while fighting against Aizen.**

**I plan on pulling a huge stunt with these three Espada in order to outsmart and kill Aizen, so I hope the stalling they're doing doesn't bore you all to death.**

**Review please~ **

**You have no idea how hard it is to write Aizen's character. He's just so...grrr. I hate him. And, the top that hatred, he's like OVER 9000 god-like. It'll be a feat to pull off a convincing trick on him while keeping him true to his character.**

**Ulqy-chan~**


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